The Google Pixel 2 XL will be available from November 15, with price starting at Rs 73,000. Both Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL go up for preorders on October 26.

A Google employee holds up the new Pixel 2 smartphone and Google Clips wireless camera at a product launch event on October 4, 2017 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, California. (AFP)

Alphabet Inc’s Google on Wednesday unveiled the second generation of its Pixel smartphone along with new voice-enabled home speakers, redoubling its commitment to the hardware business as it competes with a surge of devices from Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

Pre-orders commence on October 26, 2017, and Pixel 2 will be available for sales in more than 1,000 stores across the country and online starting November 1.

Pixel 2 XL will be available for sale in stores and online starting November 15, 2017. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL will be available online, exclusively on Flipkart.

Google’s new products, including a Pixelbook laptop, wireless earbuds and a small GoPro-like camera, showcase Google-developed operating systems and services, notably the voice assistant. That means usage of those devices should stoke the company’s core ad sales business as buyers of the hardware use Google services like search and maps.

A Google Clips camera is held during a launch event in San Francisco, California, US October 4, 2017.
(REUTERS)

Speaking at the launch in San Francisco, Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh said the new products “perfectly demonstrate our strategy of re-imagining hardware from the inside out”, a Reuters report said.

The Pixel 2 smartphone comes in two sizes, with comparable features, including aluminium bodies and no traditional jacks for headphones. Prices for the base model start at $649, while the high-end version starts at $849. The phones will be available Oct. 19.

The Pixel phones lack the brand lustre and market share of similarly priced smartphones such as the Apple iPhone or Samsung Electronics Co’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones. Still, the original Pixel’s camera and software drew acclaim from reviewers, many of whom expect the line to become a robust competitor at the high end of the Android smartphone market.

The new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones are seen at a product launch event on October 4, 2017 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, California.
(AFP)

Pixelbook, priced at $999, is the first laptop powered by Google Assistant and will support Snap Inc’s Snapchat, the company said. The keyboard folds behind the screen to turn the 12.3-inch touchscreen into a tablet. It will be available in stores from Oct 31, Reuters said.

Google Home Mini, one of the new speakers, is priced at $49 in the United States and would rival Amazon.com Inc’s popular Echo Dot. It will be available Oct. 19. The Home Max, with dual woofers for more powerful sound, is priced at $399 and with availability by the end of the year.

The Pixel Buds, which are priced at $149, arrive in November. Clips, which is pocket-sized camera with object detection and automatic recording capabilities, “soon” goes on sale for $249, Google said. Videos last only a few seconds and do not contain audio.

Isabelle Olsson, lead designer for home hardware for Google, Inc., and Juston Payne, Product Manager for Google Clips at Google Inc., demonstrate two-way translation using Google Pixel Buds and the Google Pixel 2 smartphone at a product launch event on October 4, 2017 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, California.
(AFP)

The Pixel smartphone debuted a year ago, with analysts estimating sales of more than 2 million, pushing Google to record amounts of non-advertising revenue.

Google’s “other” revenue category, which includes both hardware and sales of online storage services, accounted for about 12% of overall sales in its most recent quarter.

Last month, Google expanded its hardware development capabilities by picking up a 2,000-person smartphone engineering team at HTC for $1.1 billion, Reuters said.

“It’s pretty clear Google is serious about hardware,” said Avi Greengart, research director at consumer data firm GlobalData. “Given that there is a Pixel 2, and given the financial investment, there must be a longer-term strategic intent.”

Matt Vokoun, Director of Product Management at Google, Inc., introduces the Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen at a product launch event on October 4, 2017 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, California.
(AFP)

HARDWARE CHIEF HAS SECOND GO

Google moved into smartphones five years ago with the $12.5-billion purchase of Motorola Mobility. But Motorola’s hardware team, under Osterloh, and Google’s Android mobile operating system division remained independent. Google wanted to avoid giving it a special advantage and protect its relationships with Samsung, LG and other distributors of Android. The company later sold the Motorola smartphone business.

Osterloh, now working inside Google, moved to bring in-house the HTC team Google contracted to design the Pixel. He enjoys a strong relationship with Hiroshi Lockheimer, the Android division head. The pair have been friends since working together for several years at Good Technology in the early 2000s.

Google's Senior Vice President Hardware, Rick Osterloh, speaks about several products during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam
(REUTERS)

Protecting relationships with others in the Android ecosystem has become less of a concern. Samsung ratched down the rivalry with Google after the firms agreed to a major patent licensing deal in early 2014. Other vendors have seen their market share dip.

Reuters said Google’s eye is now on Apple, whose iPhone has become the smartphone to beat.

Google Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during a launch event in San Francisco, California, US October 4, 2017.
(REUTERS)

The first Pixel debuted a year ago with a significant marketing push: during the last three months of the year, Google spent an estimated $110 million to air 12 Pixel-related commercials, according to data from advertising measurement firm iSpot.tv.

Apple spent $147 million during the same span, iSpot.tv said. Apple has sustained its TV time throughout the last year, while Google’s efforts have tapered off.

In the speakers market, Google’s personal-assistant lags Amazon’s Echo devices in market share, according to investment bank Cowen & Co. Last week, Amazon released several new models of the Echo, including one with a display as it tried to find a place in every niche.

Rishi Chandra, vice president of product management for Google’s Home hardware unit, said in an interview that Google was being “a little bit more thoughtful” than the online shopping company.

“Amazon is taking a broad approach,” Chandra said. “We’re going to iterate until we have a good product story to tell.”